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4600 W-7700 N
Brummel & Kenton
Skokie, Illinois 60076
Phone:847-674-1500
info@SkokieParkDistrict.org
Get Directions
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| The site that is now Emily Oaks Nature
Center was part of the original 62-acre property purchased by the then
Niles Center Park District from the Cook County Forest Preserve for
$1,000 an acre in 1929. This original purchase also included Oakton
Park and what is now Oakton Community College. Originally called Emily
Park, it existed for many decades as a sleepy natural area, minimally
maintained. In the 1980s the District decided to build a multipurpose
environmental facility at this location and received an $80,000
Department of Conservation grant to help build the facility as well as
to perform site restoration and develop a nature education program. The
$207,000 nature center was dedicated in April of 1988. In 1993-94 park
redevelopment took place, including three new shelters, an outdoor
amphitheater, trails, and a shoreline deck, as well as a new playground
for a total cost of $258,000. A major addition was made to the nature
center in 1996-97 for a cost of $1.6 million and as a result of
increased visitation, the parking lot was expanded onto a nearby
utility easement property. Currently under development is the “Woodland
Wander Inn,” an interactive discovery room on the lower level.
Throughout its history Emily Oaks Nature Center has retained the beauty
of the oak savanna and pond.
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